CPJ, coalition press for information on surveillance

CPJ today joined an unprecedented coalition of leading
Internet companies and civil liberty activists in the United States to press
Washington to be more open about its massive and controversial surveillance programs.

In a letter
to President Barack Obama and senior members of Congress, the group asked for
more information about government demands to phone and Internet companies for
data on their end users. The letter follows growing global criticism of the
government spy programs which were revealed last month by fugitive U.S.
security contractor Edward
Snowden.

The 63-member coalition urged the government to "ensure that
those companies who are entrusted with the privacy and security of their users'
data are allowed to regularly report statistics" on the number of requests. The
letter was signed by Apple, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, and Yahoo,
among others. Major U.S. telephone companies including Verizon and AT&T,
which hold vast stores of subscriber data, did not sign the letter.

The Internet companies want to be allowed to publish
information on the number of government requests that they received under
national security provisions, including the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act (FISA) and national security letters.

"This information about how and how often the government is
using these legal authorities is important to the American people, who are
entitled to have an informed public debate about the appropriateness of those
authorities and their use, and to international users of U.S.-based service
providers who are concerned about the privacy and security of their
communications," the letter said.

The coalition wants more openness not only from corporations
but also from the U.S. government itself; the letter called on the administration
to issue its own regular "transparency report."

"Just as the United States has long been an innovator when
it comes to the Internet and products and services that rely upon the Internet,
so too should it be an innovator when it comes to creating mechanisms to ensure
that government is transparent, accountable, and respectful of civil liberties
and human rights," the letter said.

Robert Mahoney is CPJ’s deputy director. He writes and speaks on press freedom, and has led CPJ missions to global hot spots from Iraq to Sri Lanka. He worked as a reporter, bureau chief and editor for Reuters around the world. Follow him on Twitter @RobertMMahoney.